Hosting decision guide · Closed alpha
Free software. Real hosting responsibilities.
openDiscord has no software license fee under AGPL-3.0. You can request access to the official hosted instance or operate the same release on your own server. Self-hosting gives you infrastructure control and the work that comes with it.
Use opendiscord.app
Basic chat is not paywalled. During closed alpha, an administrator reviews new accounts before they can sign in. Requesting access does not guarantee immediate approval. There is no paid hosting plan offered on this page.
The project accepts voluntary sponsorship. Financial support grants no moderation powers or exclusive hosted features. The funding statement reports an operator-provided €250 monthly instance cost as of 15 October 2026. That is an operating total, not a customer price or a quote for your server.
Run your own community server
The documented starting point is a Linux host with Docker Engine and Compose, a domain, and ports 80/443 available for Caddy HTTPS. PostgreSQL 18 is bundled. You do not need an account on the official instance.
The self-hosting documentation describes 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM as a starting point for small communities. This is not a voice/video capacity guarantee. Size your deployment with actual concurrent users, attachment volume and media traffic.
AGPL-3.0 permits self-hosting; if you modify the software and provide it over a network, you must offer the corresponding source to its users. Review the license before deployment.
What belongs in your hosting budget?
- Compute and database
- Host the web application and PostgreSQL. Allow for peak concurrency, database growth and security updates.
- Domain and email
- Budget for your domain and an SMTP provider if you enable verification and password-reset email.
- Storage and backups
- Account for attachments, encrypted off-host backups and storage growth. Test restoration; a backup file alone is not recovery proof.
- Voice and video
- LiveKit is optional. Include media bandwidth and reachable media ports. Restrictive networks may require additional TURN configuration.
- Operator time
- Someone must handle upgrades, monitoring, abuse reports, moderation and incidents. Include this work when comparing with managed services.
Monthly total = compute + storage + backup + email + media bandwidth + operator time, plus any domain cost spread over the year. Provider prices and your usage determine the amount; we have not measured a universal per-community hosting cost.
Check readiness before inviting your members
Only 1:1 text DMs are end-to-end encrypted. Community messages, files and voice are not end-to-end encrypted. There has been no independent security audit. Avoid treating an alpha deployment as a replacement for a service with contractual support or compliance requirements.
- Verify email delivery, registration policy and private-channel permissions.
- Test voice, camera and screen sharing with real member devices and networks.
- Complete an off-host backup and isolated restore, then assign upgrade and moderation responsibilities.
Use the deployment documentation for commands and configuration, and the roadmap for current limitations. Still deciding? Read our Discord alternative comparison.
Written by the openDiscord project. Product and documentation reviewed on .